Product review: Pirelli Angel ST tyres

Chappo gives us the nitty gritty on his Pirelli Angel ST tyres, as they face their imminent demise…

You may have heard a bit about Pirelli’s Angel GT sportstouring tyres in recent months – they were launched by the Italian firm in June 2013 as the successor to the Angel ST. I attended the tyre's Australian press launch, which comprised a road ride through the Gold Coast hinterland followed by some track time at Warwick’s Morgan Park Raceway, and I was impressed with their performance and gobsmacked by Pirelli’s claim they offer 30 per cent more mileage. Click
here to read Martin Child’s take on the Angel GT press launch.

While the reviews and market response to the Angel GTs have been overwhelmingly positive, what you might not know is that the Angel ST continues to be sold in popular sizes alongside the GT, and at a considerably reduced recommended retail price.

In fact, a set of STs comprising a 120/70ZR17 front and a 160/60ZR17, 180/55ZR17 or 190/50ZR17 rear now retails for $399, as opposed to an RRP of $479 for a pair of Angel GTs. The GTs, however, are available in a far broader range of sizes, including a stiffer sidewall format to cope with high-output bikes like Suzuki’s Hayabusa or Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-14R.

Now $400 for a set of what were, until very recently, premium sportstouring tyres seems like pretty decent value to me and given the set of STs on my daily ride was fast approaching judgement day, I thought I’d offer some thoughts on this ‘budget’ offering before I swap them over for the primo GTs.

This is the second set of Angel STs I’ve run on my daily ride, my long-serving Honda CB900F Hornet. The Hornet (or ‘Hairnet’, for you superior types) is a true work hack, generally racking up between 400-500km a week as it takes me between home and the Bikesales Network office. If it’s lucky it gets the odd run through the hills, although more often than not it’s passed over in favour of newer, more exotic options in the Bikesales garage. Detecting an increasing number of grey hairs of late, I know how it feels…

The current set of STs went on at 60,000km and now, with a 78,000km service just around the corner, they’re due for replacement. They’re still legal (just) with 18,000km behind them and I reckon I could eke out another 1000km if I really wanted to push it.

That’s a brilliant figure, although it also reflects the moderate nature of their use – fairly constant highway running with plenty of low-speed traffic work. It’s also about 4000km more than I’ve achieved with any other set of sportstouring tyres.

I still tend to take off fairly hard from a red light to keep ahead of the traffic so I was impressed that despite this, and the lack of hard cornering, the hoops have worn fairly evenly. Yes, the back tyre has squared off a bit, but the Hornet still feels pretty sweet when slicing along highway on-ramps.

Even though my Hornet is basically a commuter these days I'm still a little sheepish to admit I haven't worn the angel 'wings' from the side of the tyres, as the pics show. Then again, I don't seem to go through many knee sliders on my way to and from work, either...

The STs have always provided good grip, wet or dry, but the one aspect I particularly like about these tyres is the feedback they provide – there always seems to be a good connection between my input via throttle or brakes and what's going on at a tarmac level. They offer a smooth, compliant ride, without any of the harshness I’ve experienced with other brands.

If it sounds like I’m sold on these tyres, it’s because I am. That’s why when I got through the first set I whacked on another. And now, at $399 a set, the Angel STs are even better value.

Next up is a set of GTs, which are also being trialled in a more sporting setting by Bikesales Network’s Matt Brogan on his Triumph Street Triple. Click here for Matt's latest update.

If Pirelli’s mileage claim is indeed true, I should be looking at over 23,000km from a set – a figure that makes their higher price tag well worth the extra. Watch this space…

Visit www.link-int.com.au to find your nearest Pirelli stockist.

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Product review: Pirelli Angel ST tyres

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